Egypt's presidency condemns Brussels blasts

Tuesday 22-03-2016 06:05 PM

Ambulances head to the metro station in Brussels after a blast killed at least 10 people on Tuesday 22 Mar. 2016.

CAIRO, Mar 22 (Aswat Masriya) – Egypt's presidency condemned the attacks that hit Brussels on Tuesday, causing tens of deaths and injuries.

Explosions went off at Brussels' international airport after a suicide bomber blew himself up killing at least 11 people. Another blast took place at a metro station near European Union government buildings, killing 10 more people.

In a statement published on Tuesday on its official Facebook page, the Egyptian presidency asserted its rejection of any attempts "aimed at terrorising the people and killing innocent lives." It further expressed its solidarity with Belgium.  

Similarly, al-Azhar, which is Egypt's highest Islamic authority, denounced Tuesday's attack, saying that it contravenes the "teachings of Islam and the teachings of all religions."  

Egypt's foreign ministry also condemned the attack earlier and sent its condolences to the "government and people" of Belgium.

"It is time for the world to take a tough stance towards dealing with international terrorism that targets the security and stability of people," the foreign ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zaid said. He further called for taking "fast measures" to fight terrorism, even on the levels of thought and funding.

The foreign ministry also alerted Egyptian citizens in Brussels to exercise caution and avoid crowded areas. 

Belgian authorities raised the national terror alert to its highest level Tuesday and put Brussels on lockdown. Prime Minister Charles Michel confirmed that terrorists had perpetrated the attacks.

Meanwhile, Germany and France bolstered security at their borders, airport and metro stations. British Prime Minister David Cameroon called for an emergency meeting of ministers to determine his country's response to the Brussels terror attacks.

The attack comes days after Belgium captured Salah Abdel Salam, the main suspect in the Paris terror attacks.

In November, Paris witnessed multiple coordinated terror attacks that left 130 people dead. Massive shows of solidarity across the world followed the tragic incident, which the French media had described as a "carnage".

The Islamic State group (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack a day later in a statement published in both Arabic and French, and made available in an audio recording, where the group said eight of its members had carried out the operation.

Separately, Egypt's national airline EgyptAir announced its cancellation of all trips to Brussels.

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